Maryland; stories of her people and of her history . OF 1812 Captain Towsons boat attacked the Caledonia; Lieu-tenant Elliotts boat the Detroit. By three oclock in themorning the two brigs were captured. In less than tenminutes I had the prisoners all seized, the topsails sheetedhome, and the vessels under weigh. So wrote Lieu-tenant Elliott. That was pretty quick work. But the work was not alldone yet. They were onboard the brigs, but thequestion was how to getthem to the American sideof the lake. They got thetwo brigs under weigh,but both ran aground inthe Niagara River withingun-shot of the
Maryland; stories of her people and of her history . OF 1812 Captain Towsons boat attacked the Caledonia; Lieu-tenant Elliotts boat the Detroit. By three oclock in themorning the two brigs were captured. In less than tenminutes I had the prisoners all seized, the topsails sheetedhome, and the vessels under weigh. So wrote Lieu-tenant Elliott. That was pretty quick work. But the work was not alldone yet. They were onboard the brigs, but thequestion was how to getthem to the American sideof the lake. They got thetwo brigs under weigh,but both ran aground inthe Niagara River withingun-shot of the Canadianshore. The Canadian shorewas full of the enemy, andthe enemy began firing onthem. Sailing-master Watts wasin command of Towsons boat. Early in the morninghe and the pilot left the boat and took the prisoners withthem. But Captain Towson did not want to give up hisprize. So he stayed aboard and got all the brigs cargoto a place of safety. Then he managed to get the brig afloat again. Buthe was an artilleryman, not a seaman, and did not know. JESSE DUNCAN ELLIOTT 175 MARYLAND how to sail a vessel. All but two of his sailors haddeserted. He ran the brig aground a second time. In the meanwhile Lieutenant Elliott had destroyed theDetroit. He sent orders to Captain Towson to burn theCaledonia, as a large force of the enemy was coming to therescue. But Captain Towson would not destroy the left her in charge of three men, with orders to burn herif the enemy came. It turned out to be a false alarm thatthe British were coming, and thus the Caledonia wassaved. She afterwards made one of Commodore Perrysfleet. Congress presented Lieutenant Elliott with a sword asa reward for his part in the capture of the Detroit and theCaledonia, and also presented him with a gold medal forhis brave conduct later on in the war. Captain Towson also served bravely throughout thewar, and rose to the rank of major-general. Towson,the county seat of Baltimore County, where he was born,was name
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